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Anyone who has ever worked in the office, has had one of these days… 8-12 hours of meetings, calls and sitting in front of the computer will leave you feeling drained. While a cold beer on sofa brings a temporary relief, it doesn’t really make you feel fulfilled. You don’t need to rest, you need to live more.

As a human being, we need to live with our body, mind, heart and soul to feel complete. Next time that you want to feel alive after work, try one of the following:

1. Intense exercise

Due to the sedentary work style in the offices, we don’t get to use our bodies enough. And when the body is unused, you feel like crap! The quickest fix is an intense exercise that will help you to become re-energized and more present in your body.

All you need is 10 minutes after coming home. My recent favorite is to make 20 slow push-ups (5 sec down, 5 sec up) followed by 50 kettle-bell swings to reboot myself for the evening.

2. Inspire your mind

As work is too often about dealing with everyday challenges, your mind might get stuck on the patterns of short-term problem solving. To break your mind free, you need to step into a higher level of thinking. The world is full of inspiring things to read / listen / watch (literature, philosophy, design, art, spirituality…), just choose a topic that you feel connected to.

If you anyways need to commute, why not to utilize that time to tease your brain. I usually listen to podcasts, and I strongly recommend ‘The Philosopher’s Notes’ (the best 100 dollars I ever spent) or ‘The New Man’ podcast series.

3. Be there for another person

If you have just conversed with your computer the whole day, you surely need some more human connection. But to ensure that you don’t mistake complaining to connection, decide to be there for another person in your interaction. When coming home, ask your wife about her day and listen with curiosity… or call to a friend to understand what’s really happening in his/her life.

By being interested on another person, you both fulfill your need to connect, and you make the other person to feel great. I personally try to ensure that the first 5 minutes when coming home, I am fully there for my wife. A good way to start a great evening!

4. Create

Sometimes the work doesn’t bring the best out of us. For any major talent that you have, you also have an inner need to utilize that. To feel complete, pick-up a practice that lets you to tap into this talent and helps you to create and contribute something to the world. It doesn’t have to be big (write a poem, draw a picture, work in garden, play an instrument, write a blog), but it has to be something that you feel compelled to do.

The more you are able to live your creative part of yourself every day, the better you feel about yourself. I personally try to cook 3 nights a week after work. The creative part of the cooking gets me to a flow-state, and is sure to pick me up after any challenges in the office.

What are your best ways to get energized? Share your thoughts on the possible ways to get back to life after a grueling day in the office…

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[…] if the big picture would be all aligned (values & strengths), you will still need to take care of your everyday energy. By activating your body, mind and soul through daily habits, you’ll ensure that your whole […]